It is fair to say that being a glazier probably causes a few confused looks when you tell some one what trade you are in but being a glazier means you have to have a wide range of knowledge and expertise.

So glaziers are tradies that deal with all aspects of glass supply, repair and installation.

With specially designed architectural designed homes on the rise it has created a greater use of glass to create the dream of the owners.

This in turn has made the glazing trade evolve and all glaziers new and old have had adapt as its no longer good enough to just be doing “hack outs” which is the term for “hacking” out broken glass and replacing with new glass.

Glaziers now specialise in all different types of glass applications which is why making sure customers need to make sure they are getting a reputable and knowledge company when replacing there glass or installing a new shower in their home.

For the older generation if you think of your family home now compared to when you were younger, we had smaller windows which were generally double hung windows. Internally would mostly just be a cabinet mirror in the bathroom and that’s about it.

Now glass makes up almost 30% of our external cladding including big picture windows, glass sliding doors and glass balustrading.

Internally we have kitchen splash backs, huge mirrors in our bathrooms and internal glass doors throughout.

So really the question is not “What do Glaziers do?” but should be “What do I want my Glazier to do?”.

Glass Splashbacks – can come in almost any colour you can think of. And with advances in technology and design you can even get glass splashbacks with imbedded graphic designs.

Glass Balustrades – for pool surrounds, decking and stairwells can add a clean and spacious feel to an area.

Showerscreens repair & new installations– there are so many choices when it comes to shower screens including framed, semi-frameless and frameless. We can also service and repair your existing shower screen.

Glass Tabletops & Shelving – glass tabletops can be used to protect timber or marble surfaces or can be the table top itself. Tabletops that not fully supported should be Grade A toughened safety glass. Glass used to protect a surface may only be in ordinary float glass.

Glass Replacement – repair of broken windows and glass in doors.

Mirrors – Mirrors are often features in bathroom to bring in light and add bring a contemporary feel.

Pet Door Installations – we all love our pets and by adding a pet door to your glass window or door we can provide easy access in and out of the house.

External Cladding – often includes high rise glazing and requires a whole unique skill set.

Commercial shopfronts and Commercial Fit outs – think retail shops and all the glass required to fit it out. This could include curved glass, shelving, mirrors and internal partitions.

Install new aluminium doors and window Glazing – This is glazing new frames -timber, aluminum or steel.

Architectural Glazing Features – such as slumped glass and lead lighting as well as specialised coloured glass and often involves aluminium fabrication.

Double Glazing – or Insulated Glazing Units which are so prevalent now that it’s almost standard in all new homes being built in Queensland.

Supply & install new security screens to doors windows – Install extra security around the home by getting fly screens or security screens to your windows and doors around the home.

Window Tinting – Reduce the amount of heat coming into the home by tinting your windows.

 

 

Glass does not have to be used just on the windows and doors of your home. This article will cover a few different ideas.

One: Glass Benchtops

Glass isn’t the first material you think of when you’re looking for bench top materials, but it’s worth thinking about. Glass can be a perfect bench top material. It’s strong and easy to clean.

More importantly, glass bench tops have a certain elegance that can’t be matched by most other materials. It’s not for every kitchen or bathroom, but a glass bench top may be perfect for a modern kitchen or bathroom.

Two: Glass Bricks

Glass bricks are more common than glass furniture, but are often overlooked.

They resonably inexpensive and you can use them anywhere you want light to enter a room, but don’t want clear glass.

Glass bricks are hollow. This helps insulate the room against heat or cold transference into a room. You can even use them as an unusual, but stylish shower enclosure.

Glass bricks aren’t confined to the bathroom. Use them in any room of the house where you want natural light, but also want privacy and insulation. For an even more dramatic effect, you can use colored glass bricks.

Three : Glass Splashbacks

Are you looking for a stunning finishing touch to your kitchen?

This may be what you’re looking for.

Glass splashbacks are more expensive than acrylic splashbacks, but they can be perfect for the kitchen.

Four: Glass Stairs

Glass fencing and glass balustrades are fairly common now.

Treads are less common and can make a striking addition to a modern interior. Glass

stair treads can be used just like timber treads. Use them on a straight or circular staircase.

However you use them, they will be a stylish addition to your home.

A frightening series of spontaneous glass explosions on balconies of Melbourne apartment buildings has highlighted the dangers of cheap and faulty construction products flooding into Australia.

The falling shards luckily missed passing pedestrians by just a few metres.

The failures are suspected to be cases of spontaneous glass breakage linked to poor manufacturing.

It is thought the balcony balustrades contain nickel sulfide.

This can cause glass to fail when exposed to extreme temperature change, wind or other stresses.

It is also a startling example of growing issue of poor quality building materials making their way into Australia.

These items arrive by boat and plane unchecked.

Where they are then being installed in homes and on buildings – in some cases threatening lives and property.

“It’s a huge problem and more than we know about it,” said chief executive of the Australian Window Association.

Ms Gramlick said the prevalence of building products that did not meet Australian standards,

Ccombined with poor workmanship and installation, meant many buildings would have to undergo repairs in years to come.

The Housing Industry Association said the majority of building products entering the country were not being tested.

This is allowing poor quality items to get through that are not up to Australian Standards.

While spontaneous glass breakage is thought to be rare

There has been made at least three buildings in Melbourne where a number of explosions have occurred.

A builder was recently forced to replace a number of glass balustrades on a residential tower, This was due to the discovery of nickel sulfide impurities.

To read the full article please click below

The Age Article 

Although this incidents occurred in Victoria it is only a matter of time before more cases start to appear here in QLD.

Like most of our articles regarding glass incidents;

We cannot continue to stress enough the importance of using Trades people that you trust.

Read the reviews online to see if they have had many complaints for cutting corners.

Here at True Blue Glass we have shown over the years that we strive to continually exceed our customer expectations

And we do our research on where we are getting our glass from.

And that the materials we use are of the highest quality.

Call us today for any of your glass needs on 3209 8774 we are available 24 hours 7 days a week.

Is it possible for glass explode spontaneously?

This is one of the most asked questions we get from people in the Real Estate Industry.

Spontaneous glass breakage is a phenomenon by which toughened glass  may spontaneously break without any apparent reason.

The most common causes are:

Installation damage

While glass is being moved and installed, it is easy for the glaziers to nick or chip the edges of the glass.

It is also possible for fasteners such as nails used to attach glass stops to nick the glass edges.

These small nicks or chips may not result in immediate breakage.

However, over time, as the glass expands, stress concentrations can develop around the nick, leading to breakage.

In the case of tempered glass the entire unit usually breaks.

Binding in the frame

Glass expands and contracts with changes in temperature and deflects due to wind.

Because of this modern glass is set on resilient blocks at the bottom and with space for expansion at the sides and top.

The gaskets holding the glass in the frame are also usually resilient to cushion the glass against wind buffeting.

If no space is provided at the perimeter of the unit, the glass will bind against the frame

This will cause internal stresses to develop in the glass which can exceed the strength of glass, resulting in breakage.

Internal defects and inclusions in the glass

Nickel sulfide inclusions (“stones”) can be present in the glass.

The most common cause of these is the use of stainless-steel machinery in the glass making and handling process.

Small shavings of stainless steel containing nickel change structure over time and grow, creating internal stresses in the glass.

When these stresses exceed the strength of the glass, breakage results.

This type of breakage is almost always found in tempered glass and is indicated by a distinctive “figure eight” pattern.

Alternatively, small pieces of refractory brick can be eroded by the molten glass from the internal walls of the furnace during processing and become embedded in the finished glass.

These are also known as “stones”, and can also break the glass when the glass is heated, as they create thermal anomalies.

Thermal Stresses

Breakage due to thermal stress is most common in large pieces of sealed insulating glass with heavy heat-absorbing (reflective) coatings.

The coating is usually applied to the “number two” surface (the inside face of the outside lite).

This causes the outside lite of glass to heat up more than the inside lite as the coating converts radiant heat from the Sun into sensible heat.

As the outer lite expands due to heating, the entire unit bends outward. If the spacer bar or other edge condition connects the two lites of glass in a very rigid manner, bending stresses can develop which exceed the strength of the glass, causing breakage.

This was the cause of extensive glass breakage at the John Hancock Tower in Boston WHERE ALL 10,334 PANES OF GLASS HAD TO BE REPLACED

Inadequate glass thickness

A pane that is too large or thin, having not been properly engineered for wind loads on the site, can be broken by the wind.

So as you can see the answer to your question can glass just explode is a yes there a ways that this can happen.

But please be aware if you are a property manager, parent or landlord.

Unless there is clear evidence such as a brick at the scene we cannot accurately determine the cause.

True Blue Glass will not become involved in any disputes between the parties involved.